Jesus destroys the Devil's works

Sisters and brothers in Christ, today is the Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious.

Saint Andrew the Apostle is my patron saint. It always bring me great joy (and puts a smile on my face) when I read that not only did he follow Jesus first, but he found his own brother and brought him to Jesus. And who is Andrew's brother but the first pope himself, Saint Peter, the rock on which Christ built his Church.

Every day, Jesus ask us: "what are you looking for?" And every day, Christ invites us to "come" follow him and "see" how our lives will change when we do follow him. The lives of Andrew and Simon Peter changed forever the day they decided to follow Jesus and ours will, too, if we are willing to encounter Christ and then make the changes necessary in our lives to enter into a personal relationship with him.

This means that we must turn away from sin because, as Saint John wrote in his First Letter (today's first reading), "[whoever] sins belongs to the Devil. . . because the Devil has sinned from the beginning." However, "[no] one who is begotten by God commits sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot sin because he is begotten by God." Here is God's saving work for our salvation, "the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the Devil."

. . .

Gospel of the Day

John was standing with two of his disciples,

and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,

“Behold, the Lamb of God.”

The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.

Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,

“What are you looking for?”

They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher),

“where are you staying?”

He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying,

and they stayed with him that day.

It was about four in the afternoon.

Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,

was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.

He first found his own brother Simon and told him,

“We have found the Messiah,” which is translated Christ.

Then he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said,

“You are Simon the son of John;

you will be called Cephas,” which is translated Peter.